Children hide in bathroom when burglar breaks into Fresno home

Two Fresno children in the Tower District had a scary morning Thursday when they had to seek refuge in a bathroom after a burglar broke into their home.

Sgt. John Romo said the girls, 8 and 14, were in the home alone about 9:30 a.m. when the burglar climbed a chair and entered a window of the home in the 900 block of North Wilson Avenue, south of Olive Avenue. One of the girls sent a text message to their father’s girlfriend, who alerted police.

The woman rushed to the house, where she met arriving officers and gave them a key to the home. The suspect, later identified as Juan Carlos Palomares, 23, of Fresno, ran out a back door, where he was taken into custody. He was booked on burglary charges. Investigators do not believe Palomares knew anyone was in the home.

Police reported that Palomares had filled backpacks with the victims’ property, including cash, clothes and an electronic tablet. He was also in possession of a Play Station 4 and camera parts that appear to have been taken in another burglary.

This story was originally published August 6, 2015 at 11:55 AM with the headline "Children hide in bathroom when burglar breaks into Fresno home."